All Hallow's Eve

Happy Halloween!

Did everyone have a good time watching scary shows on TV today? Haha, I think everyone's prolly off to wild costume parties in downtown KL, while I sit at home watching back-to-back comedies about Halloween. But still, I had a really nice day! ;) I love laughing, see, so anything that makes me laugh, I find it worth my time. And here are some scary pictures ... *cackles* as a Halloween treat ... *drumrolls*....


I hope you can recognise our costumes... I'm a pumpkin and Daphne's head looks like it's been misplaced (good effect with the hands too!) -- ahaha, her own words ok! I still think this picture is darn funny, anyway.


Aaaaah! Help me, I'm being pulled apart by the twin ghouls of the dewan perhimpunan! *grins wickedly* Their names are Sook Koon (left) and Lee Ting (right) -- the most adorable ghouls I've ever met! ;)



Title of horror flick:
Attack of the Bespectacled Classmates
Rating: A+++
Parental discretion is advised

Haha! Denise carrying my camera bag for me, and Sin Yee -- I love her dimples! They're deeper than mine! No fair... hahahah...

This photograph was taken with me alone in the picture, but when I uploaded it here, a girl draped in pure white (excuse the bright red name-tag) appeared! *scream*

P.S: Alyaa rocks!!~




By the way, in case any of you were interested in a very brief background piece on Halloween, I got this from a American-Catholic website:

The true origins of Halloween lie with the ancient Celtic tribes who lived in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead—including ghosts, goblins and witches—returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires. Does your family carve a pumpkin to place on your porch for Halloween? If so, then you can once again thank the Irish for the tradition. Actually, the custom began with a turnip. People would hollow out the turnips and place lighted candles inside to scare off the evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they discovered the pumpkin as a larger substitute for the turnip. And so, we now carve pumpkins instead of turnips for Halloween.

So now you know why we carve pumpkins instead of turnips, but why do we call them jack-o’-lanterns? The name actually comes from the legend of an Irishman named Jack who was forced to roam the earth with only a burning coal inside a pumpkin to light his way because he had never performed a single selfless act throughout his life. Read the whole story behind the custom.

* * * * * * * *

Oh, and besides Halloween stuffies, I thought I'd share some of the stuff I've been learning up for my "life overseas where Mummy isn't there to clean up after me". As usual, I'm relying heavily on my boldly purple-coloured book-of-all-trades -- and some of the cool stuff in there:

#1: Making Candles Burn Longer

Since I'm a fan of essence in burners (favourite scent: green apples), I believe this tip will come in handy. Put your candles for a few hours in the freezing compartment of your fridge before using them. They will then burn longer and better.

#2: Keeping a Puppy Quiet

This is unlikely to be relative in my studying abroad, but for the rest of you, if you need this info.. A young puppy sometimes makes a lot of noise because it is lonely. Put a clock that ticks as company for the puppy in its kennel.

#3: Making Curtain Rails Smooth

Yah, ok, I definitely need this. My brute force has, countless times, wrecked the curtains in my old house. (New house, more careful-lah, ahaha) Sometimes you find it difficult to draw the curtains because the curtain rails are unsmooth. Apply some talcum powder on the rails.

#4: Getting Ketchup Out of a Fresh Bottle

Sometimes you find ketchup won't flow out of a fresh bottle despite some shaking. Insert a drinking straw and push it to the bottom. Enough air will be admitted to start even flow.

#5: Separating Stuck Postage Stamps

When postage stamps are stuck together, place them in the freezer of the fridge. They will usually come apart and the glue can still be used again.

#6: Cleaning Glass Windows and Mirrors

The printing ink that is used in newspapers has a wonderful effect on glass. Wash the dirt off first. Then damp a piece of newspaper and use it to clean your glass windows and mirrors.

#7: Fast Clearing of Smells in the Bathroom

Try lighting a few matches and allow them to burn for a few seconds in the bathroom.

#8: Getting More Juice From Your Lemons and Limes

Before squeezing them, immerse in hot water for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy yourselves trying that stuff out! ;)